AS Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

As a group we came to the decision to make Robyn the main character as we thought she would bestow the most power within the thriller film genre. For example the fact that the main character has blonde hair would make her seem younger than she actually is because it makes her seem more innocent and vulnerable, once again emphasizing her gender and age. We decided to include this specific representation so that the audience are reminded of the genre of film that they're watching, but furthermore we intended for the girl to seem as young as possible so it would make the audience feel more sympathetic and therefore be more engaged in what they're watching. 

There are some thriller films where the woman is the protagonist such as ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘The Panic room’. The main reasons why women are used in thrillers is because they’re often represented as vulnerable and scared, but some films use the idea of women to suggest that they’re brave and courageous. It would also make all of my thriller film seem more iconic and significant as my main character is always vulnerable.It is important within thrillers to include at least one main protagonist so that the audience gain and improve their established relationship with the characters. It will also allow the audience to help illustrate the importance of the thriller and if an audience is following a character closely then the narrative will be conveyed clearer.

As a group we had to think carefully about the characters we would include as we wanted them to match the narrative and work well along the story line. Once we established the idea of a ‘possession’ theme within my thriller we then decided what genre of characters would most match the outline of the narrative. We decided to choose a female protagonist as we thought it would add to the suspense of my thriller because the girl would be able to express the narrative clearly and convey the general conceptions better because the audience stereotypically feel more sympathetic towards women, as they’re generally conceived as more vulnerable and less capable. The girl within my thriller (Robyn Tansley) would also include specific costumes such as jeans and white coloured make up to make her seem younger and more innocent, hair and makeup in order to make her look younger. We wanted to achieve this affect as we believed the idea of a young girl being possessed would create sympathy among the teenage audience and ultimately help build a relationship between both the audience and the characters within the film.